>> 7 p.m.: Vigil at Southwest Elementary School in Greenwood for victim Jennifer Longworth, who taught second grade at the school. She and her husband, John Dion Longworth, were believed to have died in the blast.

>> 8:30 p.m.: Arson investigators, as well as crews from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the gas company, still working at scene.

Curfew in effectA voluntary emergency curfew for residents of Richmond Hill is now in effect.

Between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m. residents are asked to be inside their homes for safety and incident scene preservation.

IMPD also issued a warning to gawkers and would-be thieves. Police plan to stay at the scene and will investigate all non-residents to deter criminal activity in the area.

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With no idea when they can return home after a massive explosion crippled their neighborhood, many Richmond Hill families waited for answers and counted their blessings Monday.

“We’re homeless, basically,” Mavles Baier said. “What I can say is I’m glad that my daughter, my son-in-law and grandkids are safe. She got out OK, and her kids got out OK. That’s all that really matters.”

Baier lives down the street from 8349 Fieldfare Way, the home believed to be the source of an explosion that killed two people and destroyed or nearly destroyed five homes and damaged dozens of others in the Southeastside neighborhood late Saturday.

The bodies of John “Dion” Longworth, 34, and his wife, Jennifer, 36, were pulled from the wreckage of 8355 Fieldfare. Jennifer was a teacher at Southwest Elementary School in Greenwood. The coroner has yet to officially identify the bodies, but a police report confirmed the names Monday.

What caused the blast remained an unanswered question, but mounting evidence points to some kind of natural gas explosion.

Indianapolis Public Safety Director Troy Riggs offered the first candid answers since the blast took place at about 11 p.m. Saturday. Investigators suspect natural gas played some role, Riggs said, but he added that it’s going to be quite some time before they release an official cause.

The ex-husband of Monserrate Shirley, the woman who lives at 8349 Fieldfare, said a text message from his daughter told him the heat went out about a week and a half ago. He believes a faulty furnace may have caused the blast.

The dearth of solid information from official police and fire department sources spurred speculation among neighbors and on the Internet. Rumors, some pretty far-fetched, have run a gamut from meth labs to bombs.

No red flags

The Star consulted with four experts who said the damage was consistent with a natural gas explosion.

Citizens Energy offered no solid answers Monday. While crews inspected main gas lines Sunday and cleared them, spokeswoman Sarah Holsapple said they began testing service lines that run into the home where the blast occurred.

Holsapple also said a meter reader had been to the house on Oct. 26 to test energy consumption levels and found nothing out of the ordinary.

Dan Considine, another Citizens spokesman, said no one reported gas or furnace problems at Monserrate Shirley’s home. But, he explained, the utility does not repair furnaces and would have no reason to know about such a problem.

Citizens Energy had received no calls from people in the area noting the rotten egg-smell of the chemical added to the gas, which in its natural state is odorless.

“Most of the time when there’s a gas leak, people smell it,” Considine said. “But not always.”

The homeowner

Nobody was home at Monserrate Shirley’s house when it blew up, taking with it the homes on either side.

John Shirley, 50, who has been divorced from Monserrate Shirley since this summer, said she and her boyfriend were at a casino the night of the explosion. His daughter, a student at Our Lady of Greenwood, was at a friend’s house and the family’s cat was being boarded, he said.

“I hope that she’s OK,” he said of his daughter, “I can tell they are both very much in shock.”

John Shirley, an employee at Roche Diagnostics, said his ex-wife and daughter are staying with the family of Monserrate Shirley’s boyfriend, Mark Leonard. Leonard also lived with Monserrate Shirley at the Fieldfare Way home, according to a police report from the night of the explosion.

John Shirley said his access to them is limited because his ex-wife has a protective order against him and has full custody of his daughter.

Police responded to a domestic disturbance at the Shirley home in February 2011, according to an Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department report.

John Shirley moved out of the house in February 2011, he said.

Prior to the divorce, the Shirley family faced financial stress. In 2007, the Shirleys filed jointly for Chapter 13 bankruptcy. Court records show they had liabilities of nearly $410,000 and assets of about $316,000.

Among their liabilities were two mortgages on the Fieldfare Way house, on which they owed a total of $225,794. The house’s value was listed as $230,000, according to court records.

The bankruptcy case was dismissed in June.

The house was listed for sale at $149,900 in late 2011 as a possible short sale, but it was pulled off the market in March at the request of the owner, according to real estate listings. The house had a gas furnace and a wood burning fireplace with gas starter, according to descriptions.

'Hectic'

Residents have been eager to return to their homes. They gathered for two meetings Monday at Southport Presbyterian Church, where the city’s code enforcement staff talked to each resident, particularly to those whose houses were significantly damaged.

About 80 houses were damaged in the blast. Many can be repaired, but some must be torn down.

Gary Jarnagin, who lives with his wife one block from the center of the explosion, believes his house will be torn down.

“Our walls are totally cracked across the main foundation,” Jarnagin said. “The back patio was blown away completely, and our whole garage was bent into a U shape.”

Jarnagin said the city is helping them set appointments with insurance adjusters. Their house is marked yellow, which means they will be allowed to go back and retrieve their belongings while the city evaluates the damage.

Shelby Karnes, who lives with her family five houses from 8349 Fieldfare Way, has busted windows, cracked walls and ceilings.

“It’s been stressful and hectic, almost dreamlike,” Karnes said. “All of us are still in shock. We’re grateful that all of us are still here. We know the damage can be repaired, but we just don’t know how long it’s going to take.”

Elaine Plumpe, who lives across the street and six houses down from the Shirley home, was among the Richmond Hill residents who received some good news on Monday.

Inspectors took another look at her home and decided the damage wasn’t as bad as initially thought.

“My house is now livable; yesterday it wasn’t,” Plumpe, 56, said. She and Angel, her 12-year-old beagle-mix, have been staying with a friend since the explosion.

Authorities on Monday cleared Plumpe to return home. But for every bit of good news, there is still some bad.

The house has no power, no water and there is no telling when the utilities will be turned back on.